Knite
by Realist Writer
Summary: A Novelization of the Knite series by Wenquing Yan , also known as yuumei.
1. Chapter 1

On the rooftops of Haushui, a lone voice rang through the air, "Little Swallow, wearing a flower coat flies here every spring." Sen leaned against the metal fence on the roof, fixing the string on his kite. "I ask the Swallow, 'Why do you come?' The Swallow replies, 'The spring here is the most...'" Footsteps could be heard on the roof, interrupting Sen's song. He turned his head to the source and saw a teenage male, around fifteen or sixteen, walking towards him. Odd. Normally, Sen was the only person on this rooftop. He returned to his tune, "...beautiful."

The boy kept walking towards him, one hand in the pocket of his green hoodie, and the other carrying a bright red envelope. "How nostalgic," the boy said, giving Sen a wide grin. "I haven't heard that nursery rhyme for years."  
For a second, Sen didn't respond, but eventually, turning his head from the boy, he continued his melody. "Little Swallow, I'll tell you this year, this place is even more beautiful." Sen's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "We have built a big factory, installed new machinery to welcome you, so you can settle down for good..."  
Sen turned to the boy, and addressed him directly for the first time. "What a twisted song, don't you think?" The boy rubbed his brown hair from his eyes and chuckled. "Haha, I guess it is!"  
Sen stood from the fence and asked, "Who are you?" It wasn't too common that someone would stumble up here. Whenever he wanted peace and quiet, this rooftop was just about the only place that Sen could go to be left alone. The only place where his thoughts could run free.  
The boy gave Sen a goofy grin. "Me? Just a spectator." Sen looked up into the sky. It wasn't too dark out just yet but it would be in a few minutes. He picked up his kite. "The show doesn't begin until night." He said with a little smile of his own. That smile hid quite a bit. Sen was used to having people see his work, but never on this rooftop. He found the idea of somebody else intruding in his place of solitude a bit disturbing.  
"I can wait." The boy said. He raised the envelope in his hand. "Besides, I'm here to deliver a message to Sen, the leader of the Knites!" A message? For him? That was another first. "Who is it from?"  
The boy stepped forward and handed Sen the envelope. "A little princess who admires your work." He said, nonchalantly. Sen opened the envelope. Inside was a large stack of money, neatly held in place with a metal clip. Sen's face fell. He never accepted donations in the past. It felt wrong to be paid for his work.  
The boy laughed. "My little sister is a big fan of the Knites. I heard you guys were low on funds, so I thought why not?" How could he have possibly known that? And where in the world could he have gotten so much money? And... sister?  
So Sen asked, "Sister? What about the one child policy," he put the money back into the envelope. "And where did you get this money?"  
The boy gave him a wink. "I'm the son of a politician?" He shrugged like it was no big deal.  
Sen pushed the envelope back into the boy's hands. There was no way that he could take this money. The boy, apparently shocked, lost his smile. Sen turned away from him and walked back towards the fence. "I don't accept donations from thieves." And he never would.  
The boy put his hand on Sen's shoulder. "How mean!" He chuckled. "Don't group me with my father's lot." His voice softened. "I'm doing this for Min-Min," His grip tightened on Sen's shoulder. Not in an aggressive way though. It was more like the boy was thinking of something painful. "She wanted me to tell you, 'Thank you,' for bringing out the stars at night."  
Sen looked up at the sky. There wasn't a speck of light interrupting that black canvas. It was about time to change that. "Well, Mr. Son-of-a-politician-" Sen turned, brushing the hand from his shoulder.  
"My name is Kai." Said the boy, once again smiling. Sen was really starting to get annoyed by that smile. But he gave Kai a friendly grin of his own and said, "Kai, the show is about to begin." Not necessarily for you, but for your sister. She is the one who truly appreciates the work that the Knites do. Tonight's show, will be just for her_._ Sen lifted his kite, really taking a bit of time to admire it. It was stylized in the shape of a swallow, with black tipped wings and a white chest. The only place where this black and white was broken was its throat, which was as bright red as Sen's shirt.  
"But there is no wind." Said Kai. Sen stepped up to the fence where the crimson pinwheels he set up stood. Kai was right, there was no wind. Just yet. "The wind," Sen started, spinning one of the pinwheels, "Will come."  
Sen put his kite on his back and lifted a pack that was leaning against the metal fence. He walked towards the center of the roof, brushing past Kai. Sen looked into the bag. A bright light emanated from within. Sen reached towards the source of the light and pulled a cord from the bag. Dozens of light bulbs hung on the cord, each glowing, breaking through the darkness. Sen tied the cord to the string of his kite. Waiting for the wind to pick up, Sen released the kite into the air, bringing the lights with it. The swallow soared into the sky, dotting the originally black sky with freckles of light. Sen tied the string of the kite to the fence letting it fly on its own.  
Sen walked back to his pack, whispering to himself. "One down," He once again reached into the bag, pulling out another swallow kite with lights attached to the string. "Nine more to go."

On other rooftops, several others watched the swallow kite fly up into the air, illuminating the sky. Each was dressed in the same bright red shirt that Sen wore. Each held a kite in their hand and each kite had dozens of lights attached to the strings. One of them spoke into a walkie-talkie, "Sen has started." They all heard the message quite clearly. "That means," said another, readying her kite. "It's time," said the next releasing his kite into the night sky. "For us," echoed twins on another rooftop. "To shine." They spoke the last phrase in unison. Within minutes, each person had let ten kites fly on their roofs, painting the sky. Down on the streets above, men and women looked up in wonder as they did every night. The air was too polluted to let the real stars show, and they knew that. These lights in the sky that they saw night by night were not actual stars, but that fact didn't matter. The false stars gave them hope. They were the work of dreamers. They were the work of the Knites.

"The others have finished." Said Sen, looking into the night. He had just tied his last kite to the fence. That was much better. He couldn't stand to see...  
"Amazing!" Kai said in wonder. Sen sighed. He had almost forgotten that the boy was still there. "I can't believe no one else is here to watch your work." Sen narrowed his eyes.  
"You're not supposed to be here either." He expected Kai to leave as soon as he was done flying the kites. "How did you find me?" There was only a few people who knew of this place and all of them where Knites. They knew that Sen did not like to be disturbed.  
"I used my politician's intuition to track down a less introverted Knite." Kai said winking. "I asked her who first started putting the stars back into the sky. She told me to look for, 'The flier of a swallow kite.'" Kai chuckled. "It took me a while, but I finally found you."

He cocked his head. "So Sen, how long do you stay up here?"

"Till dawn"

"Wow..." Kai shook his head. "How often?"  
"Every day." These questions were really starting to annoy Sen.  
"How dedicated... what about school?"  
"I skip."  
Kai reached up with his hand and ruffled it through Sen's pitch black hair. Sen flinched at the touch, but the hand stayed. "Now now, that's not good." Kai kept his hand on Sen's head. Sen wasn't used to being touched, especially by someone he had just met. "You look like a smart guy, so don't waste that head of yours. Your parents must be worried about your future."  
Sen closed his eyes. He never spoke about his parents with anyone. It made feel uneasy. Sensing that Kai wasn't going to leave the subject alone, Sen finally said, "It's not like my father has any expectations." Kai's hand dropped to his shoulder, in a surprisingly comforting manner. Sen looked at him. "He told me that I'm just a dreamer that will never pursue reality."  
"Harsh," Kai said, eventually pulling away. "Then what about your mother? Surely she's proud of a son who founded the Knites."  
Sen shook his head. "When I was five, she left me with my father," his voice cracked. "For a land...with a starlit sky." Sen slumped down against the fence. Kai didn't speak anymore and actually allowed him to doze off into a peaceful sleep.

His sleep, however, didn't seem to last very long. Sen woke up to Kai's smiling face looming over him. Sen groaned. Even with Kai's head blocking most of the light, it still bothered his eyes. "You," He said, eventually standing up. "I allowed you to stay for one night so that you wouldn't disappoint your sister." He pointed at Kai and then at the door that led downstairs. "Time's up, now leave!"  
Kai raised his hands defensively. "Aw, why do you have to be such a loner?" Sen turned away from him. "None of your business," It seems like Kai was just as irritating today as he was last night. Great. "Don't you have other friends to hang out with?" Sen asked, almost accusingly.  
Kai chuckled, "Of course! My politician's charisma makes me very popular." Why that egotistical little... "Narcissist," Sen mumbled under his breath."  
"But with my status," Kai continued, oblivious at Sen's frustration. "It's hard to make real friends. I can't help but think that people only befriend me for my wealth." Sen didn't say anything. He never thought about it like that. "But you flat out rejected my monetary offer." He started to stretch, obviously tired from the night before. "Unlike those who crowd around me, you don't care if I'm the son of a politician."  
Sen put the handle of his kite under Kai's chin. "Actually, I do care; I _hate_ thieving politicians." He was so tired of Kai bringing up the fact that he was the 'son-of-a-politician' like it was the answer to everything. That might work with other people, but it won't with him.  
Kai lifted his hands in surrender. "What if I buy you ice-cream?" Sen knocked the handle of the kite over Kai's head. "Don't try to bribe me!" He stormed off the roof, leaving through the door that led downstairs.  
"Ah..." Kai chuckled, "I see the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Unbelievable!" Sen slowly opened his eyes. Was it morning already? And that voice. He knew the voice. So when he looked up and found Kai standing over him, it wasn't much of a surprise. Kai wasn't wearing his green hoodie today, rather, a dark suit, dress shirt and tie. Why would anyone wear anything so formal on a day like this? There wasn't a celebration going on that Sen was aware of.  
"What do you want?" It had been one day since Sen last saw Kai. That, however, did not mean that he wanted to see the grinning, 'son-of-a-politician' any more than he had to. The last time they saw each other, Sen had stormed off the roof of the building leaving Kai alone. By the time he returned, Kai was gone and Sen was once again in peace. And now here they were, on the roof like the other day.  
Kai reached over ruffled Sen's hair, and grinned, "Let's go to school." Well that explained Kai's formal attire.  
Kai knocked the hand off of his head. "No." Hadn't they already discussed this? Sen had no use for school. Kai offered his hand to him. "Come on!" He whined. "I found out that we're in the same class, but I've never even heard your name called for attendance."  
Sen sat up against the fence, his neck sore. Maybe he shouldn't have fallen asleep against the metal wire. As he looked down into the streets below, he muttered, "The teachers probably gave up." And with good reason. In all honesty, Sen lost track of the days that he had cut school. And he didn't think that he would even remember any of his classmates or teachers.  
Kai sat next to him. "Seriously you're unbelievable!" He complained. Sen almost cracked a smile. Mr. 'Son-of-a-politician' was probably used to always getting his way. "Come to school just this once!" Unimpressed, Sen once again answered, "No." Kai scowled. This discussion was obviously not going as he planned.  
Then suddenly, Kai was once again giving him a grin, "Aw, but today is such a bright day. Don't waste it sleeping." Sen blinked. What did Kai take him for, some kind of a slug? He didn't just sleep all day. Normally he spent his mornings...  
"Are you worried about your bad attendance record?" Did Kai ever shut up? Obviously Sen didn't care about what other people thought of his attendance. "As the son of a politician, I can change that," Sen rolled his eyes. Here he goes again. "And I'll buy you ice cream!" Sen's body twitched. Kai was so irritating! "For the last time, NO!"  
In a hushed tone, Kai said, "You know, your father is still paying for the school tuition." Sen's eyes widened. That was news to him. Why in the world would he still be paying after all this time. As if he were reading Sen's mind, Kai continued, "He has hope in you." Sen looked down, unsure of how to respond. His dad still had...hope?  
Kai gave him a small, consoling smile. "Let's go before we're late." Kai swung a bag from his shoulders and opened it. Inside was a spare suit, tie, and pants. Whistling, Kai walked through the door leading downstairs. Sighing, Sen started to get changed on the rooftop, folding his Knite uniform and leaving it in a neat pile.

Downstairs, on the street, Kai was waiting with two ice creams. Handing one to Sen, he started to walk off, happily talking about the school. Sen followed him, barely paying attention. He was actually going back to school after all this time. And even more than that, Kai's comment about his father stuck in his mind. _He has hope in you. _Even after all this time, his father still believed in him? Even after all the nights when he didn't go home? Even after all that Sen put him through? Did he...did he still have hope in mom?  
Sen shook the thoughts from his head. No. He wasn't going to start thinking of mom now. The last time he did, that night on the roof with Kai, he became too emotional. He wasn't just going to let someone like Kai know how much he actually cared.  
Eventually the school came into view, though it seemed to be empty. Before walking through the door, Kai sushed him and gestured him inside. Kai led him to the right classroom and opened the door. Inside, Sen saw a very familiar person. _Ling? _He almost said her name aloud before he caught himself. They would have to talk later.  
Kai laughed, "Sorry we're late!" They walked into the class and found seats near the back. Throughout the entire lecture, Sen found himself staring at Ling. He knew her quite well. She was a loyal Knite who never failed to fly her kites every night. It couldn't be a coincidence that Kai was able to find him, while Ling was in Kai's class. They must have spoken. But why would she give away his location?  
The school bell rang, startling Sen. "Class dismissed!" The teacher opened the door and a flood of students stood from their desks, rushing to the door. Sen stayed seated looking back and forth between Ling and Kai. He definitely wanted to know exactly what was going on.

After two more classes of absolute boredom, Sen and Kai finally got a break from work. Sen and Kai sat on a bench together. "Lunch time!" Kai yawned. Sen felt his stomach growl. Now that Kai mentioned it, he was pretty hungry. But... he didn't have any food. He groaned. Now what? Kai chuckled as if sensing Sen's thoughts. He pulled a metal tin from his bag and handed it to Sen. "Here, I brought you a lunchbox." Was Kai always this prepared? Sen shrugged and opened it...

And found it full to the brim with cookies and candy. He frowned. Is this what Kai ate everyday? Sen didn't mind sugar but this much would give him a stomachache. Kai started laughing. "Min-Min made it with ~love~" He wrapped his arm around Sen's shoulder, grabbing a star-shaped cookie. "So you better eat it!"

As Kai bit into the cookie, a shout came. "Sen!" He looked up to see Ling standing in front of them. "I can't believe you came to school!" Kai waved at her. "Hey Class Rep! Thanks again for helping me find Sen." Sen's face darkened. So she _was_ the one who gave him away. "Ling, so you're the traitor."

"What? It's not like that!" She protested. "I just..."  
Kai gave her a wink and his most dashing grin yet. "Fell for my politician's charisma!" Sen could swear that he saw her face redden as much as his Knite uniform. "What? No!" Kai started laughing hysterically. Once he calmed down, Ling asked, "May I join you two?" Kai wiped the tears from his eyes, still recovering from his laughing fit. "Of course!"  
As they all shared Sen's sweets, Kai asked, "Hey Ling, Sen won't tell me, but how did this antisocial little swallow form the Knites?" Sen felt like tossing the rest of his cookies on Kai but resisted the urge just long enough for Ling to reply, "Haha, well, it was almost two years ago..."

"Ling, what are you staring at?" asked Fei. Ling turned to her friend and then pointed up into the night sky. "Look Fei, stars!" Fei shifted her red glasses and then squinted at the sky. Sure enough, small specks of light dotted the sky. But they were so close together. Fei shook her head, "They can't be. No stars have been seen for over two decades." And that was the sad truth. The sky was so polluted nowadays that it blotted out the light that should have been produced by the stars."  
But Ling looked skeptical. "Then... what are they?" Fei grinned at her. "They must be the works of..." She looked back at the sky. "a dreamer." Ling kept staring at the lights in the sky. "Even if that's the case, they're still beautiful." She frowned. "But they look so lonely. I wish more stars could join them..."  
Before she could finish, Fei grabbed her by the arm and quickly started walking towards the lights. "Alright!" She said, determined. "Let's track down this dreamer and ask how it's done!" And so they searched until dawn, when they could no longer see the lights in the sky. And they searched the next night. And the next. They looked high and low until...

Fei swung the door to the rooftop open. She and Ling stepped onto the roof and noticed a boy in a red shirt standing by the metal fence at the edge of the rooftop. He turned towards them. He was good-looking enough; black haired and piercing brown eyes. Behind him, on the fence were ten long wires with, each attached to swallow-shaped kites in the sky. The wires had dozens of shining bulbs on them. They must be the lights that they saw before! The boy cooly looked at them and asked, "What do you want?"  
Fei stepped towards the boy and gestured towards Ling, "I'm Fei and this is Ling." Ling put her hands behind her back and said, "We came to thank you, and we were wondering..." She smiled, "if you'd like any help." The wind picked up, tossing the boy's hair in front of his eyes. "Is that all?" He asked. "Then you're welcome. Now leave."  
Fei put her hand on Ling's shoulder and angrily exclaimed, "Now look short stuff," She pointed at him. "We've been searching for three days so we could thank you and offer our help! At least show us some respect!"  
The boy's expression barely changed. "I don't need any thanks or help."He closed his eyes and continued, "I'm doing this for myself and I already have everything I need," He turned around and nodded at the kites, "Right here."  
Fei walked up to him. "Is that so." It was more of a statement than a question. She spun him around and pushed him against the metal fence. She looked him right in the eyes and said, "Listen up, boy. I know what you're trying to do, and I can tell you now it's a fool's errand." He avoided Fei's gaze. "Do you really think that you alone can put enough lights in the sky to resemble stars?" She snorted, "That's right, you can't." He eventually looked back up at her. "I don't care. Now leave."  
Fei shook her head. "Just watch. I will make you regret your words."

Sen spoke up. "That woman was..." He hung his head into his hands, "So terrifying..." Kai and Ling started to laugh. He lifted his head. "However, before I knew it, before I even set out the first kite, the sky was already filled with lights..."

Sen finished attaching the lights to the string of his swallow kite. It was time to brighten the sky. He looked up into the night, expecting to find the same black abyss that he saw every night. Only it wasn't.

Sen's eyes widened in awe. The sky was blanketed with stars. All around him, lights filled the night. Sen felt tears starting to form. But how could this be?

Behind him, a voice shouted, "No need to thank me!" Sen turned to find that girl from the other night, Fei, standing behind him with a triumphant grin and a kite in her hand. He looked it the string of the kite. It had glowing red lights attached to it. Sen's mouth formed a little 'o'. So she is the one who... but how did she get so many lights into the sky? "I only did it to prove you wrong!"

"All these lights... How?" Fei grinned at him. "Unlike you," She gestured at the lights. "I have friends." She stepped towards him. For the first time, Sen clearly saw her shirt. It was the same design, and the same bright red as his own. She stuck her hand out in offering. "So what do you say? My offer still stands." She gave Sen a wink.

Sen couldn't help himself from smiling. "Heh, you win." He said, shaking her hand.

Ling interrupted him, "Then Fei and I came up with the title 'Knites'." Kai shook Sen by the shoulder. "So Sen didn't do much at all!" That urge to throw the cookies at Kai still didn't go away. Kai turned towards him. "And you're still such a loner. You need to make more friends!" Sen brushed the hand from his shoulder. "More friends?" He jested, "I can barely stand the one's I have now."

At the end of the day, the rest of the students had gone home, but Sen insisted that Kai stay with him to chat. "Kai, spill the truth. Ling has never told anyone about my whereabouts." Kai, sitting in the desk in front of him, leaned his head back on Sen's desk. "So what did you bribe her with?"  
Kai chuckled. "Bribe?" He asked innocently. "Oh no, I just used my poli..."  
Sen stopped him, "And none of that politician's charm crap!" Kai scratched his head and shrugged. "Well, it's no secret that the Knites were led by someone named Sen, but no one knew where to find you. One day while I was asking around, the Class Rep overheard me." So that's how he met Ling. "So I explained to her why I was looking for you, and she agreed to help me," He blinked. "If I promised to bring you back to school."

Sen sat there for a few minutes, just thinking. Even Ling wanted him to come back to school. People _did _care about his him... But still... "Hey Kai, I've been wondering..." He draped his notebook over Kai's face. "Yeah?"

"When we first met on the rooftop, you asked me if I went to school, yet you already knew from Ling that I didn't. What's with the inconsistency?" Kai lifted the notebook from his face and stuck his tongue out at Sen. "Silly Sen, you should know by now." He winked. "Politicians are liars."

While he started to giggle, Sen snatched back the notebook from Kai's hand. "DON'T YOU DARE," Sen smashed the book into Kai's face, sending him toppling off the desk. "LIE TO ME AGAIN!" Sen stood from his desk and walked out the room. He actually felt a bit better now.


	3. Chapter 3

"Delusions in the night," A harsh voice whispered. "Illuminating the petty hearts of those who can't dream higher." A white haired teen sat at the edge of the roof, his legs dangling over the edge. He shook his head in disgust. "If your kites can't soar above the smog," The teen got to his feet, moving to the center of the roof. He glanced over at his own kite that he had been holding to his chest. It was designed to be in the shape of an owl with a black and white chest, and red wings. It was a thing of beauty.

The teen looked up into the night sky where dozens of lights shined. Though he couldn't see anything other than the lights, he knew all too well what they truly were. Those lights were false hopes given to the people of Haushui by a group of dreamers. Those lights were lies given to them by the Knites.  
"Then you don't deserve to fly!" He shouted, slowly letting the kite into the air. The teen slowly released the line of his kite, letting it soar in the wind. As the line ran along his fingers, he winced in pain. He looked down at the string, now covered in red. Blood dripped from his scar covered fingers where the string had touched him. With a crazed smile he held the string with even more force than before. He took a second to admire the blood covered line. It was light, flexible, and... completely covered in tiny barbed bristles. Barbs sharp enough to cut into flesh. Sharp enough to get this job done...  
The teen guided the kite towards a group of lights in the sky. It's about time to get started. As his kite flew near the lights, they started to tumble down into the streets below. He smiled. Perfect.

"Look!" Min-Min shook her mother's arm and pointed out the window. The stars in the sky were falling. She started to giggle with glee. "Shooting stars!" She exclaimed.

Her mother frowned. Shooting stars. That was odd. Perhaps the Knites were trying something new tonight. She shrugged and began to measure out Min-min's medication in a needle. "Why don't you make a wish Min-Min." She suggested. As her mother calmed her down, Min-Min closed her eyes and began to mumble her wish. At that point, her mother gently took her arm, pressing the needle into it.

Sen glared angrily into the night sky. "Someone is cutting down my kites." He said with contempt in his voice. Why would anyone want to hinder the Knites. It just didn't make any sense.

"Heh, how unexpected;" Kai muttered sleepily, leaning against the metal fence. "A realist who is not a coward."

"What?" Sen stared coldly at his friend. Noticing Sen's gaze, Kai closed his eyes. "Nothing," He replied. "Just mumbling introspection..."

Kai stood up yawning. "You should call it a night." There was no use staying up here if the kites were gone. "You can look for your kites after an exciting day of...

Schoooooool..."

"Is finally over." Sen said, interrupting Kai. He barely got through the entire day knowing that his kites were somewhere on the streets. He really hoped that he would be able to find them sooner, but Kai had insisted that he go to school first. "Now I can go look for my kites." He would need them ready for tonight's show.

"Sen," A voice called from behind them. As the two turned around, they saw Ling waving to them. "You lost your kites as well?" Sen nodded. So he wasn't the only one. "Yeah, not you too..."

Kai chuckled, leaning on Sen's shoulder. "Well, isn't this exciting!" He said, almost cheerfully. "Not much you can do about it now except go pick up the pieces." He started to walk off gesturing for Ling and Sen to follow.

"Why do you sound so happy about this?" Sen asked, catching up to him. Kai smiled innocently. "Me?" He asked, pointing his thumb at his chest. "No way." Sen narrowed his eyes. What was Kai thinking?

The three walked around the city, looking for the remains of the kites. After about an hour or so they finally managed to find a few of Ling's kites. Most of them were too damaged to be used for tonight's show, but one still looked like it was able to be fixed. As they were about to give up the search for Sen's kites, Kai pointed up into a telephone pole, where the shape of one of Sen's sparrow kites hung, its string tangled in the wires.  
Within minutes, Ling was standing on Kai's shoulders reaching for the kite. Sen had his hand over Kai's eyes, making sure he didn't take a look under Ling's skirt. "Sen," Ling called out. "Don't move that hand!"  
Kai chuckled. "Aw, not even a peak?" Sen sighed. "You could have just let me get the kite..." That would have been much easier than this. Kai tsked at him. "Your heavier than Ling, but not taller."  
Just as Sen was about to respond, Ling reached up and grabbed the kite, and threw it down on the ground. She jumped off of Kai's shoulders and said. "This is all we could salvage." Sen looked a the kite. One of the wings was torn a bit and the other was crooked. He would have to fix that soon. The sky was starting to darken and even if he could only fly this one kite tonight, it would have to do.  
Ling gave a meek little smile and said, "Well, I should get going. I still need to tell Fei and the others about this." She ran off, leaving Sen and Kai behind.  
"Later!" Kai called, waving. He turned to Sen, gesturing to his friend to follow him. But Sen shook his head. "I'm leaving too." He lifted the kite from the ground. "I want to repair this before tonight's flight."  
Kai looked at him questioningly. "Tonight? Silly Sen, don't you watch the weather forecast?" He looked into the sky. "Tonight's going to be... Sen?" Kai turned around, but Sen was already gone. He shrugged. "Oh well." He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. "More time for me to do some research on this daring realist."

Sen opened the door to his apartment. "I'm home..." He waited for an answer but only silence greeted him. Closing the door, Sen walked over to his sofa and placed the kite down on the table in front of it. He crashed down, exhausted, and turned on the television. Barely paying attention to the news broadcast on the screen, Sen began to work on fixing his kite.  
"The town of Haushui in Sichuan province is in an uproar over the recent discovery of chemical wastes illegally disposed in the local river by the Yanji Pesticide company."  
Kai straightened the wing of the kite and sighed. One of the sides was torn almost in half. That was not going to be easy to fix.  
"The 3.7% increase of stillbirths and infertility in the past two years is believed to be..." Suddenly the sound on the television was cut off. Continuing his work, Sen glanced out to his side from the corner of his eyes. The figure of a woman stood over him.  
"You're at it again." Sen continued fixing the wing, ignoring the voice. He didn't have enough time to make a new wing, so maybe tape would...  
"Don't ignore me." It's just a minor annoyance Sen, no need to pay her any mind. The woman sat down on the opposite corner of the couch. "If you put this much effort into school," She said, "Then maybe your father would have hope in you."  
Sen halted his work, still refusing to look in her direction. Maybe he should have gone somewhere else to fix the kite. "I don't have to listen to the likes of you." He said dryly.  
"Why because I'm not your mother?" Sen clenched his fists, refusing to let emotion show on his face. "Silly boy, do you think if you put enough fake stars in the sky, your _worthless_ mother will come back?"  
Sen clenched his teeth. That bitch! How dare she talk about his mother like that! Sen took a deep breath and did his best to calm himself. He glared her way with hatred in his eyes and gave her a cruel smile. "Silly woman," He started, looking at her for the first time. "Do you think if you drive me away, your broken womb would bear a child?"  
She gasped and reached to her stomach as if she had been struck. "How dare you..." She whispered. Sen started fixing his kite again. He never liked using her infertility against her, but this time she had gone too far.  
"How dare you..." She repeated, obviously in shock. "How dare you..." She said once more, loudly this time. When Sen focussed his gaze on her, he noticed that she was shaking with... grief or was it... rage?  
"HOW DARE YOU!" The woman jumped at him with her hands outstretched. Before Sen could react, her long, bony fingers wrapped themselves around his throat, her grip like cold iron. She pushed Sen against the sofa, choking him the whole time. As Sen tried to pry the fingers from his neck, he looked into the woman's eyes and saw nothing but pure, primal fury. Sen felt the air leave his lungs. He couldn't breath! It was at that moment that he realized, that she wouldn't let go until the life left his body.. Sen felt his strength starting to fade. He then did the only thing he could think of. He weakly reached out one hand and grabbed wildly at her stomach.  
The woman let out a blood-curdling shriek and fell back, holding her stomach in her hands. "MY BABY! MY BABY! DON'T TOUCH MY BABY!" Sen gasped for breath as he stumbled away from the couch grabbing his kite from the table. The woman fell over, sobbing hysterically. "My baby..." She whispered. "It's ok... Mommy is here... Mommy will sing you a song..."

Kai rang the door to Sen's apartment. He just couldn't believe it. After all this time his father finally...  
The door swung upon, interrupting Kai's thoughts. "Hey Sen," He smiled. No need to tell Sen the bad new just yet. "Guess wha..." He stopped and looked his friend up and down. Sen's clothing was a complete mess, almost like he had been in a fight. Kai stepped back, shocked, and tried to peer at Sen's face. Dirt was smudged across his cheek and... were those tears in his eyes? Kai lowered his gaze to Sen's uneven collar and gasped.  
"Sen..." Kai slowly reached his hand and moved Sen's collar. The skin there was mottled bright red, a striking contrast against the rest of Sen's pale, white skin. It almost looked like someone had locked their fingers round his throat. "Your neck..." Kai whispered in horror, lightly brushing his hand against the bruises.  
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sen screamed, smacking the hand away from him. He brushed past Kai and started rushing down the stairs. "Sen, wait!" Kai said, chasing after him. "Sen! What happened?"  
Sen kept going, and Kai's thoughts were interrupted by a flash of lightning, and the sound of thunder from outside. Kai looked out the window on the staircase. The lightning was close by. "Please, let me help you." Kai pleaded, turning away from the window.  
Sen stopped and looked up at his friend, pain in his eyes. Just when Kai thought he had finally made a breakthrough, Sen looked away, shaking his head. "I don't need your pity." With that Sen rushed through the lobby door into the pouring rain.  
"It's not pity, I'm your friend..." Kai said, following Sen. He was so stubborn! "You don't have to tell me what happened." No answer. Kai was running out of ideas. "Let's go to my place. Don't fly your kites tonight." He urged.  
Sen stopped in the middle of the street looking back at Kai. It was about time he stopped. Kai reached over for Sen's shoulder. "This storm is dange..." Another flash of lightning and thunder interrupted him.  
"Isn't this perfect?" Sen asked, looking up into the rain. "Without any light pollution, I can put on the perfect show for Min-Min."

Kai took a deep breath. "You're lying," He said. "This isn't for Min-Min, this is for your mother, isn't it?" Sen slowly turned around and looked his friend in the eye. Taking a step towards Kai, Sen lifted his arm... and punched him across the face.

Kai toppled to the ground clutching his cheek. What the hell? Sen stood above him, shuddering in the freezing rain. "So..." Sen said in a hushed tone. "You think so too."

Kai continued to rub his cheek. "I understand now..." He said disappointedly. "I'll leave, so you can wallow in your lonesome glory." Kai struggled to his feet.

Sen turned away from him and slowly walked back into the building. Kai sadly watched his friend the entire time. When Sen was out of sight, he started towards his own home.

Sen stormed up the stairs. Why was everyone against him? First that bitch and then his own friend! Even the weather seemed to be mocking him. As Sen was about to reach the top of the staircase, he stopped and groaned. The rest of his kites were inside the apartment. He couldn't put on an entire show with just one kite, even without the air pollution dimming the lights.  
Sen trekked back down the stairs to his apartment. When he approached the door, he heard a woman's voice ringing from inside. "In this world, Mama is the best, a child with a mother is like a jewel." Sen stopped. Of course! The woman was still inside. Perhaps he could run in and grab the rest of the kites from his room. "Dive into Mama's embrace, _happiness_ is boundless."  
Sen turned away from the door. Perhaps, he would just have to brighten the sky with only this one kite. He was almost to the stairs when he heard the voice again. "Without mama is worst, a motherless child is like a blade of grass." Sen closed his eyes and spoke the last line of the song in unison with the woman. "Away from Mama's embrace, where can _happiness _be found?"  
A single tear ran down Sen's cheek. "These nursery rhymes," He whispered to himself. "Always mocking me." Sen ran up the stairs onto the roof, stepping out into the rain once again. "But I will show you where I can find _happiness._" The wind began to pick up, and almost snatched the kite out of his hands.  
"I will..." Sen readied his kite, turning on the lights on the string. "Create my own _happiness!_" He released the line to the kite letting the wind carry it into the air. For a minute, the kite flew steady. It was beautiful.  
But the wind's strength increased, almost blowing Sen over. His eyes were buffeted by the gusts, but he kept them right on the kite. For another second the kite flew high. Suddenly it started to shake and then spin. Sen felt the line go limp and within a few moments, the kite fell into the streets below, and the lights quickly following.  
Sen dropped to his knees, defeated. Maybe the woman was right. Tears flowed from Sen's eyes, mixing with the rain. Maybe this whole thing was hopeless.  
Sen turned his gaze upward. His eyes widened in awe as he looked into the sky. Hundreds, no... thousands of lights shimmered in the formerly spotless void. He reached a trembling hand towards them. They were stars. They were real stars.

Kai sat at the windowsill, looking down into the street. Was he going to be able to tell Sen? It would be unfair to just...  
"Brother Kai-kai!" He blinked and looked at his sister. She tugged at the sleeve of his shirt with one hand and pointed out the window with the other. "Look, look! What are those?" She pointed into the sky.  
Kai peered out the window at where she was pointing. Was Sen really putting on a show today? He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the lights. But those weren't...  
"They look different from Sen-sen's stars..." That's because they weren't Sen's stars. But... how? Min-Min clapped her hands together. "Oh! Could they be... the real stars?" She put her face to the window again.  
"No Min-Min," He said sadly. "They are simply delusions of hope. Now don't move so much or you'll pull out your IV."  
Min-Min's face fell. "Oh... what does 'delusion' mean?" Kai clasped her hand in his own, trying to comfort her. "It's... something you should hold on to." There was no need to break her in to the harsh realities of life. Not in her condition.  
She looked up questioningly at Kai. "So it's a good thing?" Kai ruffled her hair and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, something like that..."


End file.
